#114
“Gyaaa.”
“……”
What was lying in the box making strange sounds while waving short, chubby legs was a baby.
No, why is there a baby here? Even though this was a world inside a game, it was absurd. I was momentarily speechless. The baby was breathing just fine in this deep sea, lying alone in the box without even crying. Even though it encountered a stranger like me and anxious noises were coming from outside, it was grinning cheerfully. Was this even possible?
“It’s probably not… human.”
Thinking positively, it could be a fantasy being like a sea folk child. If so, helping it might come back as good fortune later. But… what if it’s a monster?
“It might suddenly turn hostile and attack me.”
I looked down at the child. Now it was even reaching out its short arms as if asking to be held, struggling to get into my embrace.
No, even if it were a sea folk child.
“I’m already struggling to survive alone—how can I take a child with me?”
I turned away from its innocent face and closed the box again. The child would be safer staying here. If it’s a monster, it’s obviously a trap, so I shouldn’t fall for it.
I turned my back on the box and headed for the door.
Scritch scritch scritch.
Rattle rattle rattle.
The sounds of scratching at the door and bones clashing from outside were loud. Even though I was underwater, I felt like breaking out in cold sweat. Moreover.
“Waa, waaa.”
The baby that had been grinning cheerfully began to cry from inside the box. The sound grew louder and kept grating on my nerves.
“No, it’s a trap. Don’t fall for it, don’t fall for it.”
I gripped my sword and walked to put my hand on the door handle. I was ready to start combat the moment I opened the door and went out.
“Waa. Waaah, waaaaah!”
But finally, the loud burst of crying caught my ankle.
“Damn it.”
I went back and opened the box. The child with tears in its eyes made a pitiful crying sound, and it still reached its arms toward me.
“Damn damn damn!”
I was disgusted with my obsessive personality that couldn’t just pass by even in this situation. But I had no choice. Rather than losing concentration because something kept nagging at the back of my mind, it was better to take it with me. If it turned out to be a monster, I could just get rid of it then.
I picked up the child and found the baby carrier that was in the box with it. I put it on and fastened the buckles.
“You have to stay quiet.”
Come to think of it, I could make sounds too. I don’t know if it understood or not, but the child sniffled and leaned its head against my chest. Seeing its dejected appearance, my conscience was severely pricked.
“Sigh, I’m sorry, okay.”
I patted the child’s head. Then I pondered.
Now that I was holding the child, I didn’t feel like charging out recklessly like before. I wasn’t Carlisle, and I didn’t have confidence to fight difficult battles while protecting a child too. Wasn’t there some safer method?
What did the system say? That seeking help as much as possible was also an ability?
Help. What I wanted right now was Carlisle. Like a fantasy protagonist, I spread both arms and shouted toward the empty air.
“Carlisle Lightinger, come!”
“……”
Nothing changed.
“Well, hmm, I knew it wouldn’t work anyway. I just tried calling once. It’s not like I lose anything by calling.”
There was no one watching, but I felt awkward somehow and made excuses to no one in particular while scratching my chin.
“I knew it wouldn’t work but…”
Still, the disappointment was unavoidable. I swallowed a sigh and thought of other methods.
The next thing I thought of was Bisang’s summoning button. Actually, that was the only summoning-related item I had. Fortunately, I had put the button in my pocket, not in my backpack. It was small so I had put it away and forgotten about it, but anyway, I kept most emergency-use items in my work clothes pockets. If I could call Bisang and buy something helpful even on credit…
I found the summoning button and pressed it.
After a moment, a message appeared.
[Sorry. Busy right now.]
This bastard. I’m in a life-or-death situation and he’s joking around.
Annoyed, I pressed the button several more times randomly.
[Sorry, but the message could not be delivered.]
[Sorry, but the message could not be delivered.]
[Sorry, but the message could not be delivered.]
[Sorry, but…]
“Shibal… I’m pissed.”
I was about to throw the button away in anger… but barely controlled my emotions and put it back. Even if not now, I might need to use it again someday. The quest was just beginning. Right now every single item was precious.
I looked outside once more. The entire view was filled with skeletons. Someone’s words about monsters only swarming to me came to mind anew. The rattling sounds were creepy, but what I hated more were the flapping rotten flesh pieces. I had seen various types of monsters so far, but these half-zombie corpses most blatantly showed contamination…
“Wait, contamination.”
Contamination is a target for purification. Then couldn’t purification potions be used as weapons too? Of course, ordinary purification potions wouldn’t work. I mulled over what Eira had said about purification potions. She said that when she used my blood in making purification potions, the effect was greatly enhanced.
I had bled countless times in battles with monsters, but my blood had never displayed strange abilities. But the blood drawn after being doused with Carlisle’s potion had displayed strange abilities, and she said adding tree sap made the effect even greater.
Tree sap, tree sap.
I searched my pockets once more. A round pill caught in my hand. It was the pill the Priest had given me. He had also said to use it in emergencies, so I had put it separately in my pocket.
I took out the pill and examined it carefully. The green medicine gave off such a strong grassy smell it was almost fishy. The Priest, due to his profession, usually made things using Sacred Tree sap or fruit, and judging by this pill’s color and smell, it was highly likely he had used the Sacred Tree too. Didn’t he say he could make it because he had collected three Fragments of the Sacred Tree?
I decided to try the idea that came to mind. Actually, there wasn’t much else I could do at this point anyway.
Gulp.
I swallowed the pill.
“Ugh. Urgh.”
I almost vomited. The medicine was terribly bitter. It tasted like a hundred bright green weeds from the roadside had been crushed—roots and all—and concentrated. My tongue and throat went numb. Even after swallowing, the grassy taste kept coming up through my throat and nose.
But surprisingly, after swallowing the medicine, the wounds that had dissolved in the monster’s stomach acid and the cuts began to heal little by little. He said it wasn’t a healing potion, but it seemed to have some healing properties.
“That’s fortunate.”
I was planning to inflict some wounds on my body from now on, so it would be helpful if it stopped bleeding on its own.
I quickly pulled out the watering can from my tool belt. The watering can had a considerable amount of the potion I had used for soil purification left in it. Fortunately, I had made such a large quantity and the effect was better than expected, so I didn’t need to use much.
After looking at the remaining purification potion for a moment, I gently pressed the baby’s head down so it couldn’t see, then boldly cut my arm. Since I had no habit of self-harm, my face automatically grimaced. After a burning pain passed, the blood that seeped out dripped into the watering can. The transparent potion turned red, then changed to a deep green. It was probably due to differences in ratio and concentration, but even the color was completely different from the soil purification version.
“I don’t know how much blood to add.”
I had to test the effect first. I moved the bed and table in front of the door. After adjusting the furniture positions so the door couldn’t open more than a hand’s width, I checked that the strap holding the child was secure, then headed for the door with the watering can in my left hand and sword in my right.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
After taking a deep breath, I put my weight against the door and placed my hand on the handle. The moment I unlocked it and turned the handle.
Creeeeeak.
Instantly the gap opened to its limit and the skeletons competed to push their arms through.
“Shibal.”
Not only were they disgusting to look at, but there weren’t just one or two, so the force pushing in was tremendous. The bed creaked. If this continued, eventually the furniture would break and the door would open. If the test didn’t go as planned, I was as good as dead.
“J-just a little more.”
Disgusting arms filled the open gap densely. Looking at those arms flailing wildly trying to grab me, I finally sprayed the purification potion heavily mixed with my blood over them.
Sizzzzle.
“Oh!”
It worked. The bones were burning up. The bones that had been flapping frantically like freshly caught fish gradually turned white, then scattered and disappeared bit by bit.
“Woah…”
It was amazing. Of course, at this rate, dealing with all those many bones would require draining and spraying all the blood from my entire body and it still wouldn’t be enough, but if I could create gaps while properly disrupting them and escape… Huh?
While the corpses hesitated for a moment, I was planning to properly open the door and burst out this time. A round, light green circle appeared on the floor where I had sprayed the potion, and that circle began to grow larger.
“Huh?”
Then.
FLASH!
Intense light suddenly spread as if a flare had exploded. I reflexively hugged the child and covered my eyes. But the child, who seemed to find my embrace stuffy and was squirming, instead clapped its small hands as if seeing something interesting.
“Why is this… happening?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
